


Red Vs. Blue-The Aftermath

by PhantomWarrior99



Category: Red vs. Blue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-20 14:04:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12434385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomWarrior99/pseuds/PhantomWarrior99
Summary: After the cliffhanger of Season 13, the Reds and Blues of Project Freelancer come to terms with the loss of their teammate, comrade, and brother: Leonard Church.





	Red Vs. Blue-The Aftermath

"Suck it, black!" Simmons unloaded the remainder of his needler into the nearest soldier, sending the lifeless corpse crashing to the floor.

"Good riddance, dirtbags. Heh heh." Sarge reloaded his shotgun, glancing at the others.

"Church! We did it!" Tucker laughed, waiting for his friend to appear.

"Yes! They did not stand a chance!" Caboose celebrated, waving Freckles triumphantly in the air.

"Church?" Tucker's grin faltered, "you there?"

The room fell silent as all eyes fell to the aqua Spartan. "Church--?"

The AI fragments final message flickered to life before them, relaying his final words to his companions, his friends, his family.

When the message finally evaporated into thin air, no one dared break the silence. Their eyes drifted to the door as Carolina and Washington jogged in, completely oblivious to the events that had just transpired.

"You did it." Washington stepped over the various corpses, making his way to the Reds and Blues.

"Nice work," Carolina remarked with what could only be a smirk.

They noted the blank expressions, the tension in the air.

"What's wrong?"

"Church, he--" Tucker started, cutting himself short as his voice cracked.

"He's gone." Simmons finished for him, eyes turning downcast.

"What do you mean gone?" Disbelief laced Carolina's voice.

"Gone. As in dead. Destroyed. Never coming back." Grif snapped sharply, a lump catching in his throat.

"That's--that's not possible." Carolina mumbled for a moment, eyes drifting back to Tucker for an explanation.

"He sacrificed himself for us." Tucker managed at last, clenching his hands into fists.

They stood in silence for what seemed like an eternity before Washington took initiative, "Let's get out of here. Kimbal said they've picked up a separate ship approaching."

"Hargrove is on the bridge." Tucker offered, drawing his sword.

Washington nodded, "He'll pay for what he did; he's looking at life in prison--"

"--to hell with prison. He's going to pay right now." Tucker abruptly broke from his dazed state, starting towards the door.

Washigton stepped between him and the door, "Tucker--"

"Get out of my way, Wash!"

"You need to calm down."

"That son of a bitch just killed my best friend! Don't tell me to calm down!"

Washington looked to Carolina for help, but found none. "Let him go, Wash."

"Carolina--?" Disbelief.

"He didn't just kill Church, he's responsible for all of these people, all of the other Freelancers. Let him end it." Carolina returned calmly, meeting Washington's visor.

He glanced from her to Tucker, "Are you sure?"

"Positive." Tucker's grip on blade tightened.

Washington sighed and stepped aside, allowing the aqua Spartan to stalk from the room.

"Agent Washington--where's Tucker going?" Caboose asked suddenly, confusion and pain seeping into his voice.

He started to answer, but looked to the Reds for help.

"He's going to avenge Church, Caboose." Simmons answered quietly, laying a comforting hand on the blue Spartan's shoulder.

"Will that bring Church back?" Tentative query.

"No, it won't." Simmons admitted quietly.

Caboose's shoulders sagged, "Will Church ever come back?"

The maroon Spartan froze, throat constricting. As he started to answer, Sarge cut in, "No, son, he won't."

Caboose glanced numbly in the direction Church's message had been, staring intently at the floor panels, as if daring the AI to reappear.

Carolina started towards the door, pausing only as Washington, "Where are you going?"

"Tucker shouldn't be alone right now." She returned over her shoulder as she moved towards the bridge.

Washington cast one final glance at her before turning back to the remaining Reds and Blues, "We need to move."

"Why? We won." Grif returned.

"No, he's right. Who knows what will happen to this ship after that Blue is done with it." Sarge interjected, starting for the door.

Washington offered an appreciative nod towards the Red leader as his men slowly filed after him.

"Probecito Church." Lopez mumbled, following Donut out the door. (Poor little Church).

"I know, Lopez, I'm going to miss him too." Donut looped an arm around the robotic Spartan's shoulder, "He was a good friend."

Washington approached Caboose, who stood stark still in the center of the room, staring intently at the floor, "Caboose--it's time to go."

"He was right there, Washington...he could still be there!" Caboose returned hopefully.

"He was gone before the battle began, that was a message he left behind. Come on." He rested a hand on his shoulder.

"But, what if--?"

"Caboose," the black and yellow Freelancer abruptly cut him off, "he's gone. We need to go."

The large blue Spartan sighed, shoulders slumping as he nodded, "Okay." He started towards the door, stopping just inside to look back. "Goodbye, Church. You were the best friend I ever had."

Washington followed him outside, casting his own final glance over his shoulder at the room before they disappeared around the corner.

\----------------------------

"Hargrove! Open the damn door!" Tucker's cries echoed down the hallway as his blade connected repeatedly with the sealed door in front of him.

"Tucker, calm down." Carolina's voice caught his attention.

"That bitch is in there!" He snapped, pointing at the bridge.

"And that's where he'll stay until the ship arrives. He'll face trial and then he'll rot in prison. Church wouldn't want--"

"Don't tell me what Church would have wanted. I know what he would have wanted: Hargrove in a grave." He spun, burying his blade in the door for the hundredth time before sagging down to his knees, arms falling limply to the floor.

Carolina cautiously approached, dislodging the blade from the door and kneeling beside Tucker, "Remember when we went after the Director?"

He nodded solemnly, staring absently at the door in defeat even as she laid the deactivated blade in his lap.

"I'd been obsessed with finding him, hellbent on making him pay for everything he'd put me through, everything he'd put Church through." She laid a comforting hand on Tucker's shoulder.

"I remember." He returned flatly.

"When we finally made it inside, when we were face to face with him--I realized he'd suffer more alive than he would dead. And he did, Tucker, he suffered more during his time in that bunker than he would have had I killed him. If you kill Hargrove, you're giving him exactly what he wants--release, freedom, an escape from punishment."

Tucker's expression hardened for a moment, eyes squeezing shut as he collected himself, "And you can promise that he'll make it to prison--that he'll pay for what he did?"

"Yes. Church made sure Hargrove would pay for his crimes."

Tucker grasped the handle of his sword in his lap, replacing it on his thigh before he stood, "Alright, he'll live--but just because it's what Church would've wanted."

Carolina nodded approvingly, casting a glance down the corridor as UNSC soldiers approached, "He's all yours, gentlemen." She stepped aside, guiding Tucker away from the door and in the opposite direction.

\---------------------

"So, that's it...he's gone." Grif muttered, watching Hargrove being escorted to a prison shuttle.

"What do we do now?" Simmons asked, looking to the Freelancers for guidance.

"Now, we go home." Washington laid a hand on Caboose's shoulder, prompting a quiet glance from the Spartan.

"But, where's home? We can't go back to Blood Gulch, or--Valhala."

"I don't know," Carolina stepped forward, "but we'll figure it out...together."

\--------------

Hey guys, if you're hearing this then it means you did it. You won. You kicked the shit out of Hargrove's forces, I knew you could. But this is my last stop. See, when I came into this world, I was really just a collection of someone else's memories. But with your help, these memories, they...they took form. They became my voice, my personality. And after a while, I started to make brand new memories of my own.

All these things are what make me who I am. But they're also holding me back. I can't run this suit as Epsilon. But if I erase my memories, if I deconstruct myself, the fragments I leave behind will have the strength to get you through this. I believe that. I wish there was another way, but I'm leaving this message as well as others in the hopes that you'll understand why I have to go this time.

It was...it was actually Doyle who made me realize something I never thought of before. There are so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day and because of their sacrifice, the good guys win, the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after. But the hero never gets to see that ending. They'll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end, they just have to have faith...ain't that a bitch?

**Author's Note:**

> Hey folks,
> 
> So, for the record, I wrote this story some time after the end of season 13, but well before season 15 was released. I accidentally guessed their ending scene. XD
> 
> Anyway, if you enjoyed this story, leave a comment and if there's some other story you'd like me to write, feel free to send me a message!
> 
> ~Phantom


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